Building construction



M. G. HILPERT ET AL.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 7 Filed March 18. 1926 '7 Sheets-Sheet l M. G. HILPERT ET AL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 18. 1926 '7 Sheets-Sheet 3 M. G. HILPERT ET AL,

- BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 18. 1926 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 64 501 wag Jan. 22,, 1929.. 15995 M. G. HILPERT ET AL 7 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 18. 1926 7 sheets-sheet 5 M. G. HELPER? ET AL.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Marsh 18. 1926,

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M. 5. HILPERT ET AL.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 18. 1926 v Sheets-Sheet 7 25 -L bl 25 1 g [I I 27 26 27 26 45' f Patented data 22, i929.

MEIR G. EILPERT AND CAMILLO WEISS, 01E BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed March 18, 1928. Serial No. 95,741.

concrete, to that of plain I-beams, while in the y to a proposed construction, slippage will in no I way aifect its strength, as each steel member is securely fastened and anchored to substantial abutments and is entirely independent of adhesive or frictional resistance, 69 or bond, between steel and concrete; however, such bond is permitted to develop, and where it exists, it will increase the theoretical factor of safety.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will be apparent from the following description, takenin conjunction with. the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1, is a perspective view of a porto tion of acolumn with'its associated beams, tension rods, shear rods, and shores, the same I being shown before the placing of the form supports and forms, the usual floor slab single-way or two-way system of steel rein- 7 forcing, and the pourin of the concrete;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a full quarter panel and portions of the adjacent panels of a floor constructed according to our invention, the'forms, shores and trusses having been removed, and the concrete being shown This invention relates to buildin struction, and relates more particular combined steel cage'an'd reinforced concrete building construction which is designed to retain the main advantages of each of these methods of construction. n h 7 it is an object of this invention to provide a system of building construction by means of which a building may be designed in accordance with standard engineering practice with a framework of predetermined strength and factor of safety, and may be erected as rapidly as can be done by the ordinary steel cage construction, but with the useof a great deal less construction steel than is necessary with steel cage construction, this eliminated steel being partly replaced by the cheaper concrete, and partly by improved design.-

it is a further object of this invention to provide a system of building construction which uses the continuous spandesign common in reinforced concrete construction, but which employs a framework of steel columns, and beams which are temporarily strengthened so as to withstand the construction loads, thereby rendering it unnecessary to wait for the setting of the concrete on each floor bein broken lines so as not to obscure the steel fore working on the floors-above. work; I

it is a still further object of this invention l Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the to provide a beam designed on the continudine 33 of Figs. 2 and 9, showin portions 35 ous span basis and constructed of both steel of two floors of a building with t e tempoand concrete, the main tension and shear rary shores and part of the formsin place bestresses. coming on the, steel portions'and the fore the pouring ofthe concrete; main compression stresses on. the concrete and v Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on the end steel portions, and the com )ression conline H of Figs? and 9 showing part of no crete serving also as fire-proo 11g material a floor after the concretehas been poured and and part of the floor. the forms removed but with the, form suplhe accomplishment of this latter object ports and the temporary supporting trusses f is important, since steel is more than a still in place; hundred times as str'ong as concrete inshear Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 and in the proposed construction all shear ofiFig. 4:; 1 ing stresses, vertical as well as horizontal; Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view of a are carried by steel in the form of steel web portion of the truss shown in Fig. 4; and shear rods; while in the-usual reinforced Figure 7 is a detail view of one of the concrete construction reliance must be placed of the truss shown in Figs. 4, 5' and 6; on the shearing strength of concrete in trans- Figure 8 is a detail view of a portion of mitti'n gshearing stresses from the flanges to one of the supporting hangers shown in the of a beam, and through the stem to Fig. 4; V theQabT-itments. Further, slippage of rein} Figure 9 is a vertical section on the line forceinent steel will entirelydestroy the 'use- 9-9 of Fig; 2, showing the temporary sup- 5 fulness of the ordinary reinforce concrete, ports and the forms in place and the conbeam and slippage will reduce the strength" crete poured; of haunched steel I-bams, encased in 0011- Figure 10 is a detail view of a portion of parts i ing the structure illustrated in the beam,

one of the beams after the temporary flanges have been removed, the flange lugs bent down, and the floor finish coat of concrete applied;

Figure 11 is a, detail view of one of the shores shown in Fig. 3; Figure 12 is a detail view of the upper end of the shore shown in Fig. 11, showing the manner in which it is inserted in the bottom flange of the beam; i

Figure 13 is a detail view of the socket member for holding the lower end of the shore;

Figure 14 is a detail side elevation of half of one of the beams used in constructing the building, together with the removable top flanges therefor;

Figure 15 is a section on the line 1515 of Fig. 14, showing the column, the tension rods of beams at right angles to the sectioned and the shear rods in broken lines;

Figure 16 is a section on the line'16-16 of Fig. 14; and

Figure 17 is a detail erspective view of one of the lugs for attac ing the temporary toprflanges to the beam.

ig. 18 is a diagrammatic elevation showpreceding figures and including a plurality 0 columns as organized into a continuous structure in a building.

Fig. 19 is a plan view of the same.

Ordinary steel cage construction consists of steel columns erected on suitable foundations and supporting steel beams story above story. The beams are usually designed on the simple span basis, and are capable of supporting the full erection loads, dead loads and live loads. This type of construction requires the maximum amount of fabricated steel, the most expensive building material, but it permits maximum speed in erecting the framework and in placing the floors, fireproofing, exterior walls, interior walls, roof and fittings, on any floor or on all floors at the same time, and thus allows the building to be completed in the shortest possible time.

Reinforced concrete construction consists of steel reinforced concrete columns supportin steel reinforced concrete beams or steel reinforced slabs. This construction is usually designed on the continuous span basis and employs the cheaper concrete building material requiring only a comparativel small amount of the cheaper forms of steel: rods and iron, but it necessitates aslow and more careful construction. Forms m'ustofi'rst be built for all members, and temporary supports closely spaced under the same. Both the forms and the supports must be allowed to remain in place until the concrete has set and sufliciently hardened, before the forms anda part of the supports may be removed for reuse. Certain supports which distribute the loads from loaded supports above to the lower floors must be kept in place for a longer time. This timbering between the floors and ceiling delays the placing of floor finish and ceilings, and materially increases the cost of the floor finish on account of the necessity of cleaning the soiled floors, and also because the floor finish coat will not bond with the older concrete, necessitating the use of a deeper finish coat. This lack of'speed in reinforced concrete construction makes the use of this cheaper building material a losing proposition in highly congested sections when the loss of rentals and the additional interest charges. on the investment are taken into consideration.

'Accordin to the present invention, a system of building construction is employed which consists of steel columns supporting beams made of a combination of fabricated steel and concrete. These girders and beams preferably com rise an inverted steel 1' and a concrete T ormed thereon, and are designed on the continuous span basis. Novel removable shores are provided to take care of the weight of the forms, concrete and erection loads for any or all floors simultaneously. This system of construction takes full advantage of the speed of erection of steel cage construction, and obtains also the advantage of the continuous span over the simple span design, which permits a saving of about 30% of the weight of the floor and roof steel. Also by utilizing the fire-proofing and floor concrete as the compression flange of the beam, which is dead weight in steel cage construction, a further saving of about 20% of the weight of the steel floor necessary for steel cage construction is realized, thus securing a total saving of about one-half of the fabricated floor steel necessary for steel cage construe tion. The shoring means, which 1s a part of each girder design, permits this combination steel and concrete girder construction, and provides a clear floor s ace below for the application of floor finis fire-proofin and ceiling finish as is the case with stee cage construction. Also, according to the present invention, atemporarily stren hened steel beam is provided which is sufliciently strong to withstand the erection loads, this temporary strengthening means being removed after the reinforcing concrete has set to form a combined steel and concrete beam which is stronger than the temporarily strengthened steel beam originally used. Furthermore, special forms of adjustable trusses and shores are provided whicli may be readily used on other jobs.

The proposed construction employing the continuous span principle with its superior distribution of and smaller bending momentsallows of improvement in building design in two much desired directions:

First, with equal loadings and column spacings, beams of less depth may be em loyed, thus reducing the floor depth or the cor to floor height and consequently the height of the buildin with-resulting saving of building materia s, elevators, etc., decorations, and

. heatlng.

Second, for equal depth of floor members, economical longer span beams may be designed, thereby diminishing the number of piers and columns required by the usual methods. This reduction in the number of columns eliminates undesirable constructions and increases the available service space for equal or less cost or allows of much better construction in the case of stores, schools, hospitals and like buildings where a minimum of columns is a requirement.

To summarize the above, this new steel "l" and concrete 1'' construction enjoys all of the benefits of steel cage construction as well as the benefits of reinforced concrete construction, and employs only about one-half as much fabricated floor and roof steel. The columns and foundations are practically identical, since the saving in the weight of steel is almost exactly replaced by the-weight of the compression concrete used. it is to be understood that while, according to our invention, all of the temporary strengthening means to be described would preferably be employed, in some instances, some of the features may be employed in combination with ordinary methods of construction particularly in cases where the spans are short.

The essential features of our invention are as-follows:

1. A new type of continuous beam of com bined materials.

2. A system of proper support for said beam. 7

3. A new organization of reinforcing rods forming a tensionflange for and units of continuous beam construction.

4. A temporary removable top flange for strengthening beams during construction.

5. An adjustable diagonal shore for supporting all beams and concreteforms from columns, leaving floor space clear.

6. A universally adjustable form support truss constructed ofform boards and reinforcing rods clamped together.

7. A system of erecting combination steel 'l' and concrete T beams, providing a rigid clear panel support therefor While in the forming. p

Referring more particularly to thedrawings, in which like reference characters denote like parts throughout the several views thereof, Fig. 1' shows a perspective view of a steel H column 25 of the type usually em----- ployed in steel cage construction, to ether with two beams 26 riveted to the anges thereof, and two beams 27 riveted to opposite sides ofthe web thereof. The beams 27 are constructed as shown in detail in Figs. 14, 15 and 16, and the beams 26 are constructed sub- Each beam 27 comprises a web 28" and bottom flanges 28 riveted or welded thereto or formed integral therewith. A plurality of plate or lug fastening bars 29 are riveted or welded to the top edge of the web 28, at appropriate intervals on each side thereof and support plates 30, which form extensions of the web 28. It will be understood that the bars 29 may be made continuous and extend substantially the full length of the beam or girder if desired. The plates or lugs 30 are adapted to supportremovable top flanges 31 which are bolted thereto. "W hen these removable top flanges 31 are in place on the beam, the beam will have a temporary depth considerably greater than its normal depth, and the additional strength these flanges fur nish is designed to be sufticient to support most, if not all, .of the delivering and erection loads. Connection angles 32 are riveted or welded to the ends of the web 28, and are adapted to be riveted to the'column, as more particularly shown in Fig. 15. A pair of notched plates 33 are also riveted or welded to the web 28 at the top edge thereof between the bars 29 and the'web. These plates 33 are of less depth than the plates 30 and are provided top edge of the beam, in which shear rods 39 may be placed. These shear rods 39 are embedded in the concrete, and transmit steel shears to the concrete and combine the two materials into one unit. The top flanges 31 are preferably provided with bolt holes spaced at regular intervals, for example,six inches cular apertures 38 are also provided along the or multiples of six inches, so that they may a be used on a number of jobs, the beams or girders bein designed with the plates 30 arranged at t e proper distances to cooperate therewith. In this manner the flanges -31 may be used repeatedly. Y

' A continuous span beam may be described as having, in eflect,-three separate units, namely two end cantilever units having tension to flanges and compression bottom flanges, an

a single central unit having a tension bottom flange and a compression top flange, this central unit being, in efl'ect, a simple span from the points of contra-flexure. Thetension rods I 35 supply the required top tension members for the continuous span beam, and extend around the column 25 as shown in Figs. land 2,

so as to connect the two beams 26' on opposite sides thereof together to form a single continuous span beam. The tension rods 37 perform the same function for the beams 27, so as to make of beams 27 and 28 a continuous beam. a

The com ression or bottom flange of the continuous eam at the abutment may be developed by milling theflanges and possibly part of the web for direct bearing a ainst the column'and by the addition of mil ed flange material if necessary, as shown in Figs. 1 and 14. I

The tension rods and 37 are put in position after the bea1ns26and the beams 27 have been bolted or"1"iveted to the column 25 in the manner ordinarily employed in steel ca e construction. These tension rods ma be bent to the proper shape at themill an then ship ed to the place of erection, thus minimizing t 1e amount of field work, which is always an advantage, inasmuch as field labor is more expensive than mill labor. As best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 15, one end of each of these tension rods is provided with a hook and theother end is provided with a straight portion 41 which is adapted to be at substantially right angles to the beam when placed in position. These projecting ends 41 of the tension rods supplement the shear rods 39 inserving to strengthen the union between the steel and the concrete. In putting these tension ro'dsin place, they are rst passed through the proper slot 34 and then the hook 40 is inserted in the slot 36, the straight ortion 41 of the tension rod is pushed t rough the proper slot 36 in the other beam as the case may be, after the hook end 40 of the tension rod belonging in this same slot has been inserted therein. The ad- .jacent ends 40 and 41 of the two tension rods thus placed in any one slot 36 may then be securely held in place by driving a small iron nail or steel wedge 42 through the slot. After all of the tension rods have been inserted, their positioning may be readily checked by the construction foreman by merely noting whether or not all of the slots 36 and notches 34 fabricated in the beam at the mill have been filled by tension rods. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the tension rods connecting any two members are arranged so as to be substantially parallel to each other, thus simplifying erection and making this check ing a very simple process. This is a decided advantage over the usual reinforced concrete '2 constructions, in which it is very diilicult to tell whether all of the necessary reinforcing rods have been properly spaced or placed. The subsequent pouring of .the concrete around these tension rods and the beams and girders binds them into a single unitary structure of great strength.

A continuous combined steel and concrete beam to be effective must have all of its cantilever tension and compression flanges available for dead and live loads, and hence such beam must be supported at the end of the cantilever unitsat the flexure-by shores for the fu dead and erection loads until the concrete has set, and has developed a good percentage of its strength. For this purpose a novel form of shore 45 is used, the lower ends of the shores positioned against a column at one floor being shown in Fig. 1, several shores being shown in their relation to the adjacent floors in Fig. 3, and one of the shores being shown in detail in Figs. 11, 12 and 13. Each of these shores comprises a socket-like base member 46, referably a casting, which is shown in etail in Fig. 13. As shown in Figs. 1, 14 and 15, the temporar top flanges 31' and the bars 29,

do not extcn quite to the ends of the beams,

thus leaving space between the ends of flanges 31 and the co umn for the socket member 46 to be placed on the connection angles of the next'lower beam or other shear plate riveted to the column. The member 46 comprises a fiat portion 47 adapted to lie against the flat surface of the flange or web of the column'25, this portion 47 being provided with a slot 48 so that the member 46 may straddle the web 28 of the beam and be held against lateral displacement. The member 46 is also provided with an integral socket portion 49 in which the lower end of the shore is adapted to rest, the socket 49 being preferably braced by an integral flange 50. The shore proper comprises two telesco ic metal tubes 51 and 52, which may be ma e, for example, of sections of gas pipe, approximately three or more inches in diameter. These telescoping tubes 51 and 52 are provided with a plurality of registering holes 53 through which may be inserted one or more bolts 54 so that the length of the shore may be adjusted. A threaded rod 55 extends into a sleeve 55 fixed in the lower end of the tube 52- and is rovided with a nut 56 by means ofwhich ner adjustments of the length of the shore may be obtained. The lower end of the rod 55 is provided with a rounded portion 57 which fits into the socket portion 49 of the member 46. The upper end of the tube 51 has secured thereto a casting 58 provided with a rounded surface 59 and a pair of tongues 60 projecting therefrom. These tongues 60 are adapted to be inserted into suitable apertures in the lower flanges 28 of the beams, as shown in detail in Fig. 12, the rounded surface 59 of the casting 58 bearing against the lower surface of the flanges point of contra- 28' so as to secure a norm a1 thrust against ber 46 of the shore which would project into t eater the concrete to be subsequently poured around the beams, are beveled so as to facilitate removal of these members after the concrete has set. In placing the shores 45, the shores are first roughly adjusted to the proper length by means of the bolts 54. the member 46 isputin position, and the tongues are inserted in the apertures of the beam on tion loadings. These shores may also advantageously be used for aligning the columns of the building and bracing against wind until after the concrete has set. r

lit should be noted that the inclined shore places a definite tension component in the bottom flange of the end unit so that these flanges have an initial tension during construction and the setting of the conprete, thus insuring greater compression possibilities of this flange as a continuous beam in compression when the shore has been removed.

It is necessary to provide supports for the forms for the concrete underneath" each beam. As shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 9, these supports comprise planks arranged beneath the beams 26 and beams 27 and supported from the beams and also from the upper ends of the shores 45. These planks 65 are spaced on either side of the upper end of the shores 45 beneath the beams. Figs. 9 and 10, the supports for suspendin the planks 65 from the beams comprise a rod 66 bent to substantially all-shape andinserted through a suitable aperture in the web' 28 of the beam. The lower ends of the V- shaped member 66 are threaded and are provided with threaded nipples 67, which extend slightly below the lower flanges of the beams, and preferably as far asthe lower line of the concrete reinforcement to be later poured around the same, as shown in Fig. 1 Rods 68-, threaded at both ends, have their upper ends threaded to the lower ends of the nipples 67 and support a wooden cross member 69 on which the planks 65 rest, the mem ber 69 being held by means of nuts 70.

For supporting the planks 65 from the shore 45, eye-bolts are hung over the shear lugs 61 onthe casting 58 at the upper end of the shore, as shown in Fig. 3. It will be observed that the eye-bolts 75 will be vertical at no matter what angle the shore is used. The lower ends of the eye-bolts 75 support a wooden cross piece 77 on which rest the lanks 65 and which is held in place by nuts 48. The planks 65 abut at each end against the flanges of the columns 25, and are there supported by timber shores 65 with their bottom ends on a seat 92 provided therefor on member 46. In order to use standard lengths As best shown in.

of timber for these planks 65,"so that they 65 may be reused on difierent jobs, the planks may be permltted to overlap where they are supported by the cross pieces 69 and 77 For short spans, joists, supported by planks 65, will carrythe form and concrete loads m from beam to opposite beam, but for the usual and for long spans, trusses 80 will be hung from the ends of the shores 45, which trusses, if two, will make three panels of joists or it three will make four panels of joists, thus al- 75 lowing the use of short and cheap joist materials. The construction of one of these trusses 80 is shown in Figs. 4 to 8, inclusive. These trusses are assembled at the job by clam ing together the usual form planks and so rein orcing rods, the panels being varied to meet all required lengths, thus only the clamps and means'for pressure clamping need be sent to the job, and all of the materials used-planks and rodsmay be reused as form and reinforcing stock. Each truss 80 comprises ordinary planks 81 for the major compression and bending members, and ordinary steel reinforcing rods 82 fordhe major tension members. and tension members may be either boards or reinforcing rods. Means are provided for clamping the members together at necessary points, and equalizing adjustable rod hangers are provided at each end of the truss. For

binding the planks 81 together, plates 83 are provided which are held together by suitable bolts 84 are placed respectively above and The minor compression 0 bolts 84 and nuts 85 As shown in Fig. 4, the

below the planks 81, so that it is unnecessary to drill any holes in the planks, except in the case of the vertical planks, which may be of the same size for all ordinary lengths of trusses, thereby entailing no loss of timber..

Where the planks and the'rodsare to be 10 joined together, a difierent form of securing means is employed, which is shown in detail in Figs. 6 and near the ends of the planks meeting at these points, and a bolt 86 is inserted therethrough. 11o

Plates 87 are mounted on the bolts 86, and

are provided with rounded bosses 88 which engage the rods 82. A not 89 is screwed on the end of the bolt 86 and secures the whole Suitable holes are drilled together, as shown. For supporting the ends 116 of the trusses, an eye-bolt 90, shown in detail in Fig. 8, is mounted on the bolt 86, preferably in the center of the truss as shown in Fig. 5, and has at its upper end a nipple 91 which is threaded thereon. The upper end of the 120 nipple 91 is threaded onto thelower end of tye-bolt 75, so that the trusses will hang from the ends of the shores 45, as shown in Fig. 4,

ermitting the form work to be easily lowered y unscrewing the nut 56. Where a truss is desired intermediate of the shores, and eye?- bolt 75 is therefore not available, the upper end of the nipple 91 is threaded onto the lower end of one of the rods 68 or 93 form- We ave now completed t e construction and erection of the foundations, columns, beams, shores, trusses and form supports. The next step is the erection of the forms and the pouring of the concrete. The forms for s the floors and for the concrete .around the as they comprise no beams-are made in the usual manner wellknown in the art, and are not shown in detail,

art of the present invention. Portions of the forms and form supports are shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 9, but it is suflicient here to merely state that they are supported from the form supports 65 and the trusses 80, and are made in the usual manner. The present invention is adapted to for the the use of any of the ordinary methods of making floors and fire-proofing the columns, as will be eyident to one skilled in the art.

\ The floor diagrammatically illustrated is formed of concrete slabs reinforced in two directions, but it will be apparent that any other form of floor could be used if desired.

The concrete is poured only as far as the bottoms of the tempora 'flangeswhich are used as a gage, this being done while the temporary flanges 31 are in place. This level is indicated by the line 100 in Figs. 4, 9 and 10.

After this concrete has sufliciently hardened,

the temporary top flanges 31 are unbol-ted from the beams and removed. The plat-es are then bent over as shown in Fig. 10 by use of a hand tool,'and the floor finish coat may then be applied. This floor finish coat will cover up t e plates 30 and leave an even smooth finish.

The construction of the plates 30 to permit this operation is shown in Fi 17. The thickness of each plate is halfthe thickness of the web 28, and the tops are folded over inwardly, thus afiordingsuflicient bearing olts of the temporary flanges. The same result could be accom lished by the use of a rolled bar thicker at t e top than at. the bottom. These plates are attached to the web 28 by clamp riveting the thin bottom portion between web 28 and bars 29, and they are left thin at the bend line 100 for easily bending over by an appropriate jaw tool.

It will be apparent that the use of the temporary flanges 31, the shores and the trusses 80, permits the pouring of the concrete to proceed on any or all floors simul-.

taneously, thus giving a 5 ed of erection comparable to that obtaina la in steel cage construction. In ordinary reinforced concrete construction, on the other hand, it is necessary to wait until one floor has hardened so that it is strong enough to sustain the weight of the next higher floor. It will also be evident that clear spaces may be provided at the columns for the various service pipes, electric conduits, etc., as is usual in steel cage construction.

Another advantage of our invention is that all of the main members are designed exactly in accordance with standard engineering practice, and may therefore be inspected at the mill after fabrication. The time required for the drawings and specifications is almost exactly the same as that required for ordinary steel cage construction, as are also the times required for the fabrication of the main mem' bers, the field erection, and so forth. As stated above, moreover, the temporary flanges 31, the shores 45 and the material of the trusses 80 may be used on later j obs after being removed from the building, thus resulting in a considerable saving. In some instances, as pointed out above, it may not be necessary to use all of these temporary strengthening means.

Where a beam meets a column or abutment in the side wall of a buildin the tension rods connected thereto may be secured at their outer ends to the beams or girders at right angles to the girder or beam terminating at that point. As end panels for design purposes are usually assumed to consist of only two units, the cantilevering unit arid the simple span outer unit, this outer unit, for e ual spacinglof columns, will be longer and anges may ave to be increased accordingly. Similarly, at a corner of a building,

the tension rods ma lie attached to bearing members back of tie columns,.or attached direct to the columns or to slight extensions of the beam.

It is to be noted that the top edges of all beam webs are kept below the bottoms of the temporary flanges a distance suflicient to clear all tension rods as positioned in notches 34, and the top of the webs thuspresent a true and level sup ort for all rod and other usual slab reinforcing. The design of the beam 3 thus locates exactly all floor reinforcing and insures it being the required distance below the floor finish for adequate fireproofing.

An important feature of this invention is that it is a construction: of the continuous beam type that is earthquake-resisting, embodying as it does all of the earthquake resisting features of the steel cage construction and having in addition much better quakeresisting features at all column connections. For identical reasons this construction is superior to steel cage construction in the matter of wind bracing, since each column connection presents deep bending resistance due to s the column being a unit at the intersection of menace? two continuous beams which intersection is the point of their maximum strength in bending. This is in addition to the shear strength of connections to column direct, which is all the simple beam-steel cage construction presents unless special wind bracing provision is made. a

This type of construction, requiring as it does good stone concrete, insures a special protection against deterioration by rust and eliminates the tendency to cheapen the fireproofing by use of cinder concrete to the detriment of safety from rusting.

This continuous beam type of floor may also be adapted to highway bridge construction wherein the columns would extend below only as columns of bents supporting the continuous beams and 'wherein the cross beams would be floor beams between the longitudinal beams and would be continuous as for a building floor but without columns at the intersections of beams, and in this case the beams could continue beyond the outside beams as continuous cantilevering beams to form sidewalk brackets, or even such continuous bridge floor could rest on top of the piers and the columns be eliminated in certain cases entirely except for a column stub perhapsto rest on a shoe or shoes'wit-h pin equalizers on top of the piers,

The term tbeam in the specification and claims is used in its generic or broadest sense, and is intended to include all members or structures for resisting forces or loads that generally act perpendicularlyor transversely thereto; for example beams, girders, joists, stringers, and the like,

1 Many changes or alterations might be made 7 in the structure above described without aliecting the spirit of our invention, and all such modifications which fall within the scope of the appended claims are included in our inventiom Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as'newand desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: 1. A continuous span beam comprising a steel member adapted'to resist all shears, the central units tension and the two end units compression, a T-shaped concrete construction formed on said steel member and adapted to resist the central units compression, a

cured to said vsteel member tdwards the end thereof and along its upper edge and adapted to resist the end units tension, and means for securing said tension rods to an aligned member,

3. In a structure, in combination, a pair of columns, an invertedT-shaped steel member mounted between said columns and secured thereto at each end, a plurality of tension rods secured to said steel member towards the ends thereof and along its upper edge, and means for securing said tension rods to aligned members, the inverted 'I-shaped steel member being enclosed in a T-shaped concrete construction,

4. In a structure, in combination, a plurality of columns, a plurality of inverted T- shaped steel members secured thereto at their ends and extending end to end in longitudinal direction, a plurality 6f tension rods secured to each of said steel members towards the ends thereof and near their upper edges, said rods being continued around the intervening columns and secured to the aligned steel members, and a T-shaped concrete construction formed on said steel members.

5. In a structure, in combination, a pair of columns, an inverted T-shaped steel member secured thereto at its ends, a plurality of tension rods secured to said steel member towards the ends thereof and along its upper edge, means for securing said tension rods to aligned members, a temporary removable top flange vsecured to said steel member, and a concrete construction formed on said steel member and lying below the level of said tem; porary flange.

6. The constructinn as claimed in claim 5 p in combination with plates for securing said removable top flange to the upper portion of the steel member, said plates being bendable so that they may be depressed into the floor finish after removal of the flange.

, 7 In a structure, 1n combination, a column,

a pair of beams secured to two opposite sides thereof in end to end'relationship, a pair of beams secured to the other two opposite sides thereof in end to end relationship, each of said. beams including an inverted T-shaped steel member, a plurality of tension rods connecting-the adjacent ends of aligned beams and passing around the column, all of said. tension rods being secured to said inverted T-shaped steel members of the beams near the upper edges thereof and being spaced from said column sufliciently to permit the placing of pipes or conduits around said column, and continuous concrete beams formed on said steel members and surround 'ing said tension rods.

8. In a structure, in combinaltion, a column, an inverted T-shaped steel member secured thereto, an aligned member secured to the column on the opposite side thereof, a plurality of tension rods secured lto said steel 1 member towards the end thereof and near its upper edge, means for securing said tension rods to the aligned member, a concrete construction' formed on said steel member, and means applied to the bottom of said T-shaped steel members for placing tension in the compressive units-wh1le the concrete is hardening.

9. A continuous span beam comprising a steel member for taking the central units tension and the end units compression, separate means for taking the end units tension, and a temporary top flange for said member for taking the central unit s compression during erection.

10. A continuous s an beam comprisin a steel member for talzing the central units tension and the end units compression and all shears, separate means for taking the end units tension, a superposed construction of concrete taking the central units compression, in combination with a temporary top flange for said member for taking the central units compression for construction loads until .concrete supplies central units compression.

11. A continuous s an beam comprising a steel member for tal tension and the end units compression and all shears, in combination with a concrete construction for taking the central units compression, a temporary top flan e to take preliminary and minor construction loads, and temporary support means to take the major construction loads.

12. In a structure, in combination, a pair of columns, an inverted T-shaped steel member,..means for'attaching said member to said columns, a temporary removable top flange for said member, and attachingmeans for said flange and member, said attaching means being secured to said member, and bendable downwardly when said flange is removed.

13. In a structure, in combination, a steel,

beam comprising a Web and a. flan e at the bottom thereof, a removable top ange for said beam, and attaching means for said flange and beam, comprising plates each having a thick portion and a thin portion, one of said portions being secured to the web of said beam, and the other portion being detachably secured to the flange, said plates being adapted to be bent downwardly when said flange is removed.

14. A continuous span beam comprising a steel member adapted to resist the central units tension and the two end units compressiom'a temporary, removable top flange for said member adapted to resist the central units compression, and attaching means for said flange and member, said attaching means being secured to said member, and bendable downwardly when said flange is removed.

15. In a structure, in combination, a steel ing the central units member adapted to be combined with concrete, a temporary top flange for said member for taking construction loads, and means for securing said flange to said member, a concrcte floor, and a floor finish lying wholly above said concrete floor, said means being adapted to be bent over and embedded in the 16. In a structure, in combination, a steel member adapted to be combined with concrete, a temporary top flange for said member for taking construction loads, and means removably securing said flange to the member, said means so attachin said temporary to flange to said bottom flan e and holding it distant from the bottom ange so that the effective depth of the member is increased,

bottom flange which provides the central units tension and the end units compression against an abutment, added means for taking the end units tension, and means at the lower flange of said beam to take compression into the abutment.

19. In a structure, in combination, a pair of columns, a plurality of inverted T-shaped steel members attached tosaid columns and forming elements of continuous members, temporary supports for said beams, and means for attaching the upper end of said supports to the bottom flanges of said members at or near the points of contra-flexure'.

20. In a structure, in combination, a con-.

tinuous span beam comprising a central unit and end units, columns at said end units and secured thereto for supporting said units, and means on the bottom-flange for applying forces arallelling said end units and placing an initial tension therein.

21. An inverted T-shaped beam in which the web resists all shears and the flange resists the central units tension and the end units compression against an abutment, and means on the bottom chord for supplying supporting forces at the point of contraflexure. 22. In a structure, a steel column, aligned beams secured to opposite sides of said column, and means to transmit the tensile stresses from one beam to the other around said column, including a plurality of tension rods each having one end secured to one beam and bent around said column, and means to hold the central portion of the rods spaced from the column, all said rods being disposed in a substantially horizontal layer and at about the level of the upper edges of the beams.

In a structure, a steel column,'aligned beams secured to the opposite sides of said column, and means to transmit the tensile stresses from one beam tothe other and around said column, including a plurality of tension rods, each having one end secured to one beam and bent around said column, said rods being graduated in length and disposed inla substantially horizontal layer and at about the level of the upper edges of the beams.

column, and means to transmit the tensilev Q stresses from one beam to the other and around said column, including a plurality of tension rods, each having one end crooked,

securing it to one beam, and bent around said column, the other end of said rod being bent laterally for passing through the aligned beam, said rodsbeing graduated in length and disposed in a substantially horizontal layer at about the level of the upper edges of the beams.

25. In a structure, a steel column, aligned beams secured to the opposite sides of said "column, and means to transmit the tensile stresses from one beam to the other and around said column, including a plurality of tension rods, each having one end crooked, securing it to one beam, and bent around said column, the other end of said rod being bent laterally for passing through the aligned beam and extending therefrom to form a shear rod, said rods bein' graduated in length and disposed in a su stantially horizontal layer at about the levelof the upper edges ofthe' beams.

26. In a structure, a steel column, aligned beams secured to the opposite sides of said column, and means to transmit the tensile stresses from one beam to the other and around said column, including a plurality of tension rods arran ed in pairs, each rod having a crooked end engaging a. slot in one beam, and bent around said column, the other end of said rod being bent laterally for passing through a slot in the ali ned beam, the bent end of one rod of sai pairs passing through the same slot as the crooked end of the other, and means for securing said ends in said slots.

27. The method of erecting a structure, which consists in securing together columns and beam members, connecting said members with tensidn rods temporarily strengthening said members with removable top flanges,

pouring concrete around said beam members below said removable top flanges to form continuous span combined steel and concrete beams, and removing said top flanges after the concrete has set.

28. The method of erecting a structure .which consists in securing together columns flanges to form continuous span steel an concrete beams, and removin said top flange and shores after the CODCI'GtBiflS set.

29. The method of erecting a structure, which consists in securing together columns and beam members, temporarily supportin said members by diagonal shores from sai columns, hanging concrete forms from said shores, pouring the concrete, and removing said shores and forms after the concrete has set.

30. The method of erecting a structure, which consists in securing together columns and beam members, connecting said beam members with tension rods, temporarily supporting said beam members by diagonal shores from the columns, around said members, an removing said shores after the concrete has set.

31. The method of erecting a building,

which consists in securing together columns (pouring concrete said removableflanges, and removing said top flanges after the concrete has'set.

32. A beam comprising an inverted T- shaped steel member, aligned rods paralleling and attached to the upper portion thereof, and a T-shaped concrete member in combination therewith.

33. A beam comprising in combination, an inverted T-shaped steelmember, aligned rods paralleling and attached to the upper portion thereof, and a T-shaped concrete member integral therewith.

34. A beam comprising in combination,-an inverted T-shaped steel member, tensional flange rods attached to the upper ortion thereof, and a T-shaped concrete mem er enclosing said steel member and said rods.

35. A beam comprising in combination, an inverted T-shaped steel member, tensional flange rods attached to the upper. portion thereof, and a T-shaped concrete member" symmetrically enclosing said steel member ends of said member, in combination with a p T-shaped concrete member, said rods cooperating with said concrete member to strengthen the flange thereof.

37. A beamcompnsing in combination, an inverted T-shaped member, a group of rods attached to the upper portion thereof in spaced relation and extendin toward each end of said member, and a T-sfiaped concrete member integral therewith.

38. A beam comprising in combination, an inverted T-shaped steel member, a group of rods attached to the upper portion thereof and extending toward each end of said member, and a T-shaped concrete member enclosing said steel member and said rods, whereby said'rods strengthen the flange of said concrete member.

39. A beam comprising in combination, an inverted T-shaped steel member, a group of rods attached to the upper portion thereof, and extendin toward each end ofsnid member in spaced relation, and a T-shaped concrete member symmetricall steel member and said r0 s, whereby said rods strengthen the flange of said concrete member.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix our signatures.

- MEIER GEO. HILPERT.

GAMILLO WEISS.

enclosing said 

